Meanwhile, league leaders Leeds head to Stoke, while Bolton host West Brom
The EFL Championship – English club football’s second tier – is one of the most competitive leagues in Europe, and this season’s edition is proving no exception. This coming Friday night (18 January) sees promotion chasers Norwich host Birmingham, while the following day table toppers Leeds face a tricky trip to Stoke and on Monday evening West Brom visit relegation candidates Bolton.
First things first
Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with the EFL Championship season over halfway through already, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.
Where should I be investing my money?
First up, the Friday night game between Norwich and Birmingham. The Canaries sit third in the table but come into this match on the back of a poor run of five games without a win across all competitions, and they desperately need to get back to winning ways – Norwich come in at just 2.20 to win promotion back to the FA Premier League.
Birmingham, by way of comparison, are not exactly on a great run themselves and have not won in four across all competitions. The Blues currently sit just four points outside the play-off places and are out at 6.50 to bag a place in the top six come the end of the season.
Regarding this match, it is Norwich who come in as the clear favourites to take all three points. You can back the home side to pick up the win at just 1.80, with Birmingham out at 4.75 to do the same – a draw is priced in the middle at 3.40, according to Oddsshark.
And we are expecting the home side to edge this clash. A 2-1 win for Norwich is priced at 8.50, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$42.50 pay out, while you could double your money by backing over 2.5 goals in the game at 2.00.
Stoke look to bounce back against Leeds
The following day, an out of sorts Stoke side host table toppers Leeds United. Stoke were widely tipped to be promotion contenders at the start of the season but a woeful campaign has left them down in 15th place, eight points off the play-off places.
Leeds, in stark contrast, sit four points clear at the top of the table. They are the favourites to win the EFL Championship league title and you can double your money by backing them to do so at 2.00.
And while the betting is close in this one, it is Leeds who come in as slight favourites to triumph. You can more than double your money by backing the league leaders to win at 2.30 while Stoke, despite home advantage, are out at 2.87 to do the same – a draw would appear to be the least likely result and is priced accordingly at 3.50.
And we think that Leeds’ better form will carry them through. A narrow, 2-1 win for the visitors comes in at 9.00, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$45 pay out, while you could more than quadruple your money by backing a combo bet of an away win, coupled with both teams to score, at 4.50.
Bolton need points against West Brom
And finally, Monday Night Football this week will see Bolton host West Brom. Wanderers find themselves in all sorts of trouble at the wrong end of the table and sit next to bottom, having won just five games all season and scoring less than a goal a game – Bolton are priced at just 1.22 to be relegated to the third tier.
West Brom, by way of comparison, sit fourth in the table despite no wins in their last three league outings. They are just three points off the top two and come in at 3.50 to bag an automatic promotion spot come the end of the season.
And it is West Brom who are the clear favourites to take all three points in this one. You can back the visitors to win at just 1.60 while Bolton, despite home advantage, are out at 5.75 to do the same – a draw is priced in the middle at 3.75.
This should be a comfortable game for the Baggies. A 2-0 win for West Brom comes in at 7.50, while you could almost triple your money by backing a combo bet of an away win, coupled with a “No” to both teams scoring, at 2.75.
EFL Championship round 28 fixtures:
Friday, 18 January
(1.80) Norwich City x Birmingham City (4.75); draw (3.40)
Saturday, 19 January
(2.00) Aston Villa x Hull City (3.40); draw (3.80)
(1.61) Blackburn Rovers x Ipswich Town (5.50); draw (3.80)
(1.61) Derby x Reading (5.00); draw (4.00)
(1.80) Middlesbrough x Millwall (4.50); draw (3.50)
(2.30) Nottingham Forest x Bristol City (3.00); draw (3.40)
(2.20) QPR x Preston North End (3.30); draw (3.30)
(4.00) Rotherham x Brentford (1.95); draw (3.30)
(2.25) Sheffield Wednesday x Wigan Athletic (3.10); draw (3.40)
(2.87) Stoke City x Leeds United (2.30); draw (3.50)
(2.70) Swansea City x Sheffield United (2.50); draw (3.40)
Monday, 21 January
(5.75) Bolton Wanderers x West Bromwich Albion (1.60); draw (3.75)
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